About Alexandrites

Alexandrites were first discovered in the Ural mountains of Russia, and were named after Tsar Alexander II. They are the very unique gemstone variety of the mineral Chrysoberyl which displays an optical property of color-shift or color-change.

This results in the stone looking green when seen in daylight while changing to red when seen in an incandenscent light. This color-change can also be from a yellow-green color in daylight to a brownish-red color.

Belonging to the mineral group chrysoberyl, alexandrite is relatively hard having a rating of 8.5 on the Mohs scale. It has excellent toughness and no cleavage, which is a tendency to break when struck. This makes it a good choice for rings and other mountings subject to daily wear.

Depending on the extent of the color-change, an alexandrite can be extremely expensive. The most valubale are stones which appear a perfect green like an emerald in daylight and a perfect red like ruby in incandescent. Such stones however, are highly limited and rare to find. They are today found in many other counrties like India, Madagascar, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

Because of the extreme rarity of good quality alexandrites, any stone having a strong change and weight of above 1-Carat in size is considered very valuable.